Try All You Want
by TakableFirebird17
Summary: What would happen if the illusive man came to terms, knew he couldn't win? What if he accepted the current fate of humanity and denied all life the chance to defeat the reapers here and now by capturing Shepard for one last mission? Spoilers/content from Citadel and From the Ashes DLC, rated T for language. Story is mine but BioWare owns game content/material etc.


Leina Shepard braved the vast sea of expensive and luxurious silky sheets by extending her arm out to touch him. There, in his place her fingers felt an unsettling emptiness of dying warmth. She kept the sheets wrapped around her shivering body as she tossed over and pulled the sheets just above her neck. She lay there on her back, eyes becoming heavy, she stared at the ceiling. When her ears adjusted she was soon reassured by the stream of water from her shower splish splosh splashing and beating down on the tile. Content with knowing that he was still here and not far, she let sleep take her once more.

Only a few moments later Shepard is suddenly awoken by what she can make out as the doorknob turning. She instantly relaxes once more and smiles as he emerges from the bathroom, freshly dressed in his casual wear, a hot vapory mist of steam billows out from behind him and clouds all the mirrors.

Kaiden makes his way over and leans down to her ear, "I'm going to go make us some breakfast, just like what normal people do, you know? We can have eggs, Canadian bacon….beer.." He pulls away and smirks as he waggles his eyebrows. Shepard rolls her eyes and giggles. Before stepping away Kaiden tucks in the sheets around her, his subtle way of telling her to stay in bed. "I'll wake you when it's ready," he says softly as he places a warm kiss on her forehead. Shepard smiles and happily snuggles back into the comfort of her bed. Surprisingly, she drifts off once more as he walks out and takes the left stairs down to the extraordinary kitchen in her apartment she wished she could come to more often.

Once again, moments later, Shepard is aroused from her light sleep. The stomach rallying aroma of Kaiden's breakfast leads her out of bed and into the bathroom where she brushes her teeth and pulls back her cherry brown hair. Ready to head down stairs, she shivers and grabs her N7 hoodie as she walks out. Little does she notice the figures standing and waiting by the left side of the outside of her bedroom wall, nor the white armored brutes taking a chill on her couch. She slips down the stairs to her right, preoccupied with zipping her hoodie. "Damn." She curses it and takes a leap off the last step gracefully with both feet. Shepard rounds the corner and greets Kaiden with a warm sleepy smile, she juts out her right hip, stands on her tippy toes, and stretches her arms to the ceiling.

"Gooooodmornig!" She greets.

Kaiden smiles and shakes his head while turning off the burner on the stove and flips his omelet onto his plate next to his daily dose of coffee.

"By the goddess girl, for someone who plans on saving life as we know it, you sure do make a ton of noise getting up in the morning," he teases and gives his classic Kaiden smile. Shepard simply laughs it off.

"Oh Kaiden two can play at this game, I could say the same about you as well," she retaliates in a bittersweet joking manner. "You woke me up a few times I think," she comes off as playful but then frowns, although not because of him, however she doesn't let him catch it.

"So…" She steps closer and snatches a plate. "what did you make?"

"Here," he exchanges her clean empty plate for one littered with a delicious and nutritious looking breakfast.

"Mmm, thank you," Shepard smiles and leans up to kiss him quick on the lips. She strides away from the kitchen towards the couch, though not making it far.

Suddenly surprising Shepard, large white armored arms have a hold on her from behind, squeezing her with a grip that felt like death. For just an instant, Shepard panics inwardly.

"KAY-" the rest of his name dies before passing her lips, swallowed by her gasp. She watches as the plate falls to the floor, food scattering about everywhere as the plate shatters. She claws at her attacker, knowing that it has no effect. She is jerked backwards, practically being dragged across the floor. The suffocating pain around her waist and stomach knocks the wind and energy from her, she hangs her head. Then, as it comes back to her in a gust of spite, Shepard thrashes and flails about, kicking and yelling. She can hear Kaiden fighting his own and realizes she's in deep and on her own, no weapon, armor, no accessible weak spots.

"LET. GO." A screech escapes from her mouth as a bolt of pure, raw adrenaline and anger course through her and gifts her the strength of a wild animal to break free from the armored man and move away.

Shepard dashes frantically without looking behind her, towards Kaiden, still in the kitchen. As she enters she notices the brawl, she watches as Kaiden grabs the yet hot pan off of the stove and smacks it so hard against the attacker, leaving kaiden with only the handle. Both the attacker, and the pan, now without a handle crash to the floor.

Kaiden breathes out and looks at Shepard with wild eyes. "How the hell did Cerberus get in here?!"

"I have no idea..." She blanks for a moment, then snaps back into reality, heading towards the pistol hidden below the bar of the kitchen island. She checks, loads it, then hands it towards Kaiden, who in turn shoves it back at her with a "-Your life is much more important than mine and not just because I couldn't live without you and you know it-" look. Kaiden then lunges for the largest knife just as another armored man, Cerberus, takes a shot at Shepard. She shoots back without hesitation, her head now in the game. Her and Kaiden split ways to cover the apartment.

Hoping and knowing kaiden would fare well with just his knife, Shepard slips around corners and walls, taking the shot of every Cerberus filth she sees, and she spotted three.

"How the hell did they get in here? C-sec is so useless…need to get their shit together," she mumbles off and shakes her head to end her own conversation. As she nears the bar, a phantom jumps out from behind the cover of the counter, she dodges and rolls to the right as projectiles from the weapon in his palm shoot directly at her. Laughing, she pops back up and simply aims her pistol, taking him out. "Idiots." She then gets low to the ground in a crouch and searches for more of Cerberus. Shepard rounds the corner going into the living room, when suddenly a firm grasp on her arm yanks her backwards, just in time as a trooper's bullet in the living area misses her. She spins and is met with yet another phantom, but a mere second too late as there is now a needle jammed into the skin of her exposed arm.

"GAH!" She hisses and spins to kick him but he jumps away. She smirks as their footsteps mirror and shadow each other in what appears to be a dance.

"Well isn't this fun?" Shepard jokes. Finally done with her fun she raises to aim her trusty pistol to him. Her finger wraps around the trigger and pulls it back and, click. Nothing. Empty.

"Shitt! Today is definitely not my day!" She tosses the now useless gun to the floor and begins to play the phantom's dancing game once more.

"Your silly distractions ill benefit you, Shepard." Shepard's jaw drops as she hears the phantom speak words, delayed however, she jumps backwards, right into the Cerberus behind her, armed with a blade, no gun, no helmet. His blade now against her throat, she stands still as he pushes down the needle in her skin father than any doctor in his right mind would appreciate. Shepard holds in the sting by biting her cheeks. While distracted, Shepard jabbed and kicked the strange Cerberus man, freeing herself once more. Now focusing on dodging and rolling from the swings of his blade, she slides to the left as the Cerberus man raises his sword and stabs clean through the phantom now in her place.

"I'm just too lucky… I think I'll hit the casino after this… By the way I appreciate your bad aim." She smiles and rips the needle from her arm, letting it fall to the floor, she looks up, now completely serious. Seeking the phantom's sword, almost falling down as she picks up the blade, she finishes the job, what appears to be the last of the intruders. She kills him with one deft, skilled sweep of the blade. Clean and quick. The sword clatters to the ground as she staggers over towards Kaiden on the opposite side of the apartment.

Kaiden is still fighting, though having managed to disarm the only visible Cerberus around, he has him trapped up against the wall. He lunges for the neck with his knife, a vulnerable and weak spot in the armor. Before the attacker can gurgle his last breath and slide down the wall, Kaiden is already bounding towards a sickly pale and worn looking Shepard. Nearing closer he notices her inability to walk correctly. As he reaches her he steadies her with his hand on her lower back, with the other he tilts her chin up at him and assesses her eyes, they're slightly glazed.

"Are you hurt?" Kaiden asks as Shepard can barely stand upright.

"Yeah. Fine.. just a bit woozy.. a little nauseous, I'll be fine. Are you okay?" She swallows hard. Kaiden nods and holds her shoulders.

"Well Leina I think that's the last of the people trying to kill you today," he sighs.

"Yeah, that's where you're wrong. Step away from Shepard. Now." A powerful energized click tells Kaiden he should obey, but he can't.

"No." Kaiden refuses.

"I said now!" The voice from behind him bellows as more Cerberus spill into the apartment.

Kaiden bites down on his tongue, tasting bitter metallic as he sighs and takes two steps from Shepard.

"Good… Now turn around and face me," the voice commands.

Kaiden watches as a Cerberus soldier holds his Shepard up by the arm, her body slouching and gravitating towards the apartment floor, her eyes fighting to stay open. The soldier pulls her up, now somewhat steady on her feet, though relentlessly keeping her up by gripping her arm.

"The commander Shepard, right here, submissive to me and my men and I'm not supposed to kill her. This is truly an opportunity squandered, by my superiors. I wouldn't mind breaking the rules at all for this chance, and I'm not so sure about you. Perhaps you should just turn around now before I change my mind and have it my way. Another soldier strides up beside Kaiden, he stops and waits there. With one last glance at Shepard, he slowly spins towards the gun, now in his face.

Immediately, Kaiden hears a slap and thud from behind him, flinching at each sound, biting his tongue harder every second. He doesn't have to turn to know that Shepard took the butt of a rifle to the temple. He doesn't have to turn around to know that she's now unconscious on the floor, blood trickling from her nose. He saw it all in the reflection of the TV screen.

But they never saw it coming.

~~AN: Doneee! My first ever ff here and I would love to have some feedback from you guys J Takablefirebird17


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